The Torchlit Bar
by bowow0708
Summary: Roman Torchwick had died during the fall of Beacon, at least that's what the world believed. To him, it was all a big joke. Want to hear another one? Well, a Rose walks into a bar and. . . actually this one isn't exactly a joke, at least Roman wished it was. Set 10 years after V3. Rosewick!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"You got spirit, Red!" Shouted Roman over the wind as the airship flew surrounded by Grimm over the chaos of Vale, "But this is the real world!" He pulled back his arm to thrust at Ruby with Melodic Cudgel, knocking her to the roof of the airship. "The real world is cold!" He struck her again, as she curled up to try and protect herself.

"The real world doesn't care about spirit!" He raised his cane above his head, but Ruby kicked out at his knee forcing him back as he let out a pained grunt getting to one knee.

Ruby got back to her feet as Roman recovered from her strike.

"You wanna be a hero? Then play the part and die like every other Huntsman in history!" Fury filled Roman's voice. Why did Red always have to get in his way? He knew what Cinder and her cronies were up to and with a bit of digging who was the real mastermind behind everything. She didn't. But even if she knew, he could bet that she'll fight on just as hard, despite everything. The sheer determination. The stupidity. The futility of it all. It wasn't just getting in his way or that she had probably sent Neo to her death. But all of that served to piss him off and feed the flames of his anger.

Roman took his cane with both hands, and like a bat, swung it right at Ruby's head, knocking her off her feet once more.

"As for me, I'll do what I do best. Lie, steal, cheat, and SURVIVE!" screamed Roman, as he raised his cane to strike at Ruby, and get her out of his way. Hopefully for the last time, and then suddenly darkness.

Roman screamed, sitting up from his bed, a cold sweat dripped from his forehead as his eyes scanned the room. Searching for Red, the Grimm, the airship. But all that greeted him was the familiar dark panelling of his room. His heart beat loudly in his ears as he panted as if he had just run a mile.

Roman covered his eyes as he rubbed his temples with one hand, remembering the dream. It was his last encounter with Little Red. Nearly ten years ago.

He had nearly forgotten all about Red, despite everything she'd done to him and he'd done to her.

To be fair, getting swallowed whole by a Creature of Grimm wasn't a pleasant experience to be sure and to most it would be the stuff of nightmares, though to some it's a lifelong fantasy. But being trapped in its stomach turned out to be a mixed blessing. While Roman was a tough bastard, a survivor through and through, even he couldn't survive an exploding airship falling out of the sky. But the creature's body had provided enough extra protection, that by the time it had died and dissolved to mist, the airship was already on the ground. He managed to crawl out of the wreckage in one piece. Battered and bruised, but alive at the very least.

Why in the hell was he thinking about all this? It had happened a decade ago. Salem's war for conquest and destruction had been stopped, Cinder and the rest were either dead or imprisoned, and the world was safe.

He had to hand it to Red and the rest of the brats. They pulled off the impossible. Now that Salem isn't going to rain darkness and chaos in all the corners of the world and everyone that knew he was involved with at least the fall of Beacon was either dead, imprisoned, or thought he was dead.

 **Knock knock.**

Roman rubbed the sand out of his eyes and called out, "It's open."

The door opened to reveal Neo wearing a set of ice cream print pyjamas with one hell of a bedhead peeking through it before opening it wider as she entered Roman's room.

 _I heard you scream, is something wrong?_ signed Neo.

"Nothing's wrong, just had a nightmare." replied Roman.

 _That's odd, and here I thought you were the stuff of nightmares._ signed Neo.

"Oh haha really funny Neo." said Roman sarcastically. "I can't even remember the last time I had a nightmare." he muttered.

 _What was it about?_ Neo asked.

Roman sat silently for a moment, trying his best to recall what he had dreamed. "It's less of a nightmare and more of an old memory." he explained, "It was the last time we faced Red, back during the attack on Beacon."

Neo's brow furrowed in confusion. _Really? Any idea why you'd remember that?_

Roman sighed, "If I knew I'd tell you, but honestly I have no clue why I dreamt about it."

 _Well in any case, if you're awake enough to whine about some nightmare. It's your turn to cook breakfast._ signed Neo _Also we're nearly out of eggs._ before turning around to exit the Roman's room, leaving the door open behind her.

Roman groaned, "Yeah, yeah I'll get right on that." he replied, then muttered quietly. "Impatient little midget."

In a flash Neo was back at the door scowling at him. Even without her signing anything he could tell that she had heard his little comment.

"Fine, fine just let me get changed first." said Roman, climbing out of bed.

Walking over to his closet, he opened it and grabbed a pair of black pants, putting them on before walking out of his room.

He found Neo sitting on the couch, tapping away idly at her Scroll, still in her pyjamas. Without even looking up from her Scroll Neo snapped her fingers as Roman made his way to the kitchen, showing her impatience with the current lack of breakfast.

Roman rolled his eyes at her, "You know, if you're that hungry already we do have cereal."

Neo sighed irritatedly, and signed with one hand. It was crude, but she got her meaning across. _You finished the last of the milk, remember, and that was two days ago._

Roman groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance, "Is there anything else we're missing or very nearly out of?" he asked.

Neo shrugged with her back to him as she continued to tap away at her Scroll.

Roman face palmed as he shook his head before finally making it to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and inspected its contents. They had four eggs left, which was enough for breakfast, but he definitely needed to buy more. No milk obviously, there was plenty of orange juice left, and some leftovers from last night's dinner. He took out the carton of eggs, jug of orange juice, loaf of bread, butter, and a packet of bacon. He laid them all on the counter next to the stove and grabbed a cutting board and knife. He sliced the loaf of bread and placed a couple of pieces in the toaster. He then grabbed a small bowl, cracking a couple of eggs into it then whisked them with a fork. He grabbed a skillet from overhead, placed it on the stovetop and lit the stove, heating it up. He placed a pat of butter in the skillet and allowed it to melt. Once the butter was fully melted he poured the beaten eggs into the pan, sprinkling in salt and pepper.

He never really used to cook before, usually opting to eat out for his and Neo's meals. That was, until Neo noticed that always eating out did no favors for her figure when she found that her pants were beginning to get a tad tight, not to mention her addiction to ice cream wasn't helping matters either. She decided to rope Roman into cooking at home and dieting with her, claiming that he himself was becoming, in her words, a "middle-aged lump of chub". He reluctantly agreed since going along with it was easier than dealing with her nagging at him all the time.

As it turned out, he was actually seemed to have a knack for cooking, something which pleased Neo immensely as well as surprising himself.

He quickly finished off the two omelettes and placed them on their respective plates, before proceeding to fry up the bacon in the same skillet. The toast popped out of the toaster and he placed those on the plates as well.

When the bacon was nice and crispy, he divided them up and placed them the plates with the rest of the food.

"Neo! Breakfast's ready!" called Roman, carrying the plates to the table and setting them down before he took a seat and bit into his piece of toast, not bothering to wait for Neo.

Neo walked into the kitchen and sat across from Roman. They both ate in silence, Roman finishing his meal quickly, while Neo kept switching between taking bites and typing on her Scroll.

Roman grabbed his plate and brought it to the sink, leaving it there for Neo to wash, and glanced up at the clock. It showed that it was a little bit past noon and he sighed. He still had some time to go shopping.

He left Neo to finish her breakfast and deal with the dishes and made his way back to his room.

He grabbed a charcoal grey button-up shirt and put it on, unbuttoning the cuffs and rolling up the sleeves. He then slipped on a pair of socks and put on his shoes, before he took a look in the mirror, giving himself a once over making sure that he was presentable. He ran a hand through his hair, his fiery orange locks were now swept back, his bangs no longer covered his right eye.

He nodded to himself, satisfied with his appearance, Roman pocketed his Scroll, grabbed a cigar, and made his way to the door.

"Neo, I'm going shopping!" he shouted, not even bothering to turn and look in her direction. He could probably tell what she'd say to him anyway.

He grabbed his keys from a hook and stepped out the apartment door. Roman walked down the stairs, unlocked the deadbolt to the front door and stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

The sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly from above with a cool breeze blowing against his skin.

Taking a quick scan of his surroundings and the crowds of people walking around him, Roman pulled a cigar from his pocket and lit turned on his heel and began to walk in the direction of the market.

They were lucky that they were able to grab a good place in downtown of the upperclass area of Vacuou. The streets were clean, the buildings and neighbors were classy and crime was practically nonexistent in this part of the city. Well, not that he would mind living amongst other criminals again, but unlike back in Vale he was no longer a big fish. He didn't mind it so much these days, something about a standing near deaths door giving him some perspective and mellowing out as he had gotten older.

He'd finally made it to the market and began to browse for whatever food he and Neo needed in the apartment, milk and eggs were on the top of that list.

Roman was surprised at how well he had adjusted to domestic life, well mostly domestic.

It didn't take Roman long to find everything he was looking for and with his arms laden with groceries, he soon made his way back to their apartment. When he opened the door, he saw Neo once again on the couch, still in her pyjamas and typing away on her scroll.

"I'm back." he said.

Neo waved at him, acknowledging his return.

Roman walked to the kitchen and set the groceries down on the counter, then glanced back up at the clock. "You should shower and get changed soon, we'll be opening in an hour." called Roman to Neo.

He heard a beep and felt a vibration in his pocket. he took out his Scroll and saw a message from Neo.

 _Yeah, yeah. I'll get ready._ it read.

Roman sighed in annoyance and started to unpack and store the things he had bought. In the background he could hear Neo jumping off the couch and make her way to the bathroom to get ready.

When he finished, he threw away the paper bags that the groceries came with and went back to his own room to get ready himself.

He stripped from his clothes, stepped into his bathroom and took a quick shower. After he dried himself off, Roman stepped out of the bathroom and began to get dressed.

Roman grabbed a fresh pair of black pants, slipped a belt through the loops around his waist. He then took a plain black button up shirt and put it on, buttoning it up before tucking it into his pants and buckling up his belt. Next he took out a charcoal grey vest and put it on and buttoned it up as well. Lastly, he rolled up his sleeves past his elbow, tugging and adjusting until he was sure that they weren't going to get undone. By that time, his hair had dried enough that he took a brush from a table and brushed his hair back, until it was neat and orderly.

Roman looked at himself in the mirror, taking hold of some of his hair between his fingertips, "Seems to be getting a bit long. . ." he muttered. _Guess I'll get a haircut tomorrow or something._ he thought.

He set down the brush and gave himself another once over, making sure that there was nothing out of place.

He then heard a knock on the door and saw that Neo had already gotten ready. She was dressed similarly to Roman, save that her shirt was white and her vest was black, and that she had a black bowtie around her collar. But the biggest change in her appearance was that her long and brown and pink hair was now bright platinum blonde.

 _Ready to open up ship, Boss?_ she asked.

"Yeah," he responded. "Our regulars might get impatient if we don't open up on time."

 _Yeah right, as if we even have regulars that come this early._ signed Neo.

Roman shrugged, "Regulars or no, we still have to open shop on time." he said, stepping away from the mirror and out of his room. Neo followed close behind as they moved through their apartment and out the door, locking it behind them. They then went down the stairs, but instead of going through the front door, they turned to the right and through another door.

Roman, still held the keys in his hand and unlocked the door. When he opened it and flicked on the lights, it revealed a spacious yet cozy room, there were a couple of tables and chairs evenly spaced, far enough from one another to give each one enough privacy. But the centrepiece of the room was the long deep mahogany bar counter where several stools rested across. Behind the bar were scores of different liquors from all over Remnant, from the cheapest well whiskey to the most expensive cognac. All organized and neatly presented.

Roman tossed the keys back over his shoulder, saying as Neo caught them, "Neo, go ahead and open shop, then grab a rag and wipe down the tables. I'll get things ready on this side."

Neo rolled her eyes as she ducked underneath the bar's counter hatch, not bothering to lift it as she walked to the front door of the bar. She opened up the curtains of the front door and unlocking it, turning the rustic wooden sign so the words "OPEN" faced out to the street. She then moved on to opening the window curtains letting in the daylight from the outside.

Roman walked towards the center of the bar and began to bring out all of his supplies from the underbar. Shakers, strainers, bar spoons, citrus fruits, syrups, and so on. He set them down in front of himself so that they were all ready and available when he needed them. To be fair, there wasn't really much for him to set up, everything was already in its place. He then took a clean rag and wetted it at the sink of the bar, squeezing out the excess water before tossing it on the counter just as Neo walked over. She grabbed the damp rag and began to wipe off any dust off the tables and chairs, if there was any at all. Roman himself got his own rag, getting it damp as well and began to wipe down the bar counter, polishing it to a shiny finish.

By the time he was done, Neo had already finished cleaning up the barroom. She tossed back the rag at Roman, who deftly caught it. She let out a huff and went to sit at the barstool at the end of the bar, took out her Scroll and began to scroll through it.

Roman let her do as she pleased, there weren't any customers yet and to be honest, there wasn't really much he himself had to do until the first customers walked in through the door.

Roman took his scroll from his pocket and after tapping away at it for a few moments, soft slow jazz began to play within the barroom.

He grabbed a cigar from the underbar, cutting the end and lit it, before grabbing an ashtray and taking his seat behind the bar and sat close to Neo, biting into the cigar and took a puff letting the smoke drift in front of his face as they both waited for their day to actually get started.

Their first customer of the day didn't arrive until Roman was nearly done with his cigar. The small bell at the door chimed and Roman took one last puff from his cigar before setting it down in his ashtray. An older well dressed gentleman walked in and sat at the bar.

Roman walked up to the man and asked, "What can I get you?"

"Hawthorn whiskey, neat." replied the man

Roman nodded, leaning down to grab a clean glass, setting it down at the underbar before turning back to face the backbar and grabbing the requested whiskey, unscrewed the cap and poured the appropriate amount into the glass. He then placed down a coaster in front of the gentleman and set the glass of liquor on top of it. The gentleman gave an appreciative nod as he picked up the glass and took a sip.

Roman closed the bottle and returned it to its place on the backbar. When the gentleman didn't ask for anything else, Roman went back to his cigar glad that it was still lit and took another puff.

Soon after, more patrons began to enter the bar, most of them were well dressed, most likely of the same status as the first gentleman that came in.

As more people took to the tables, Neo got off her seat and began to serve the patrons at the tables, writing down their orders and bringing them to their tables.

Several hours would pass, patrons would come and go. There weren't more people than usual and most of them were their daily regulars and they all knew the rules of Roman's bar, either you follow them or get thrown out. Simple as that.

Roman was busy mixing up a cocktail when a new face walked in to the barroom.

It was what appeared to be a pretty young woman that wore a long red cloak, with the hood over her head. She made a beeline to a barstool and promptly sat down, her head bowed low, obscuring her face.

Roman quickly finished off the cocktail, giving it to the person that ordered it and walked over to the young woman.

"Can I get you anything, Miss?" he asked, not bothered that she tried to hide her face.

"A Strawberry Sunrise, please. With lots of ice." replied the woman.

 **Author's Notes:** Hi everyone! I've wanted to do this story for a long time. I know that I'm mainly focused on Ruby vs The Machines, but I really wanted to do this one. I'll still work on RvsTMs, but I'll do this on the side. It won't be updated as frequently, but it's not gonna be as long as RvsTM. . . hopefully. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and curious about what will happen next! So give me some feedback and remember

 **Please Leave A Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"A Strawberry Sunrise, please. With lots of ice." replied the woman.

"Coming right up." replied Roman. _Such a sweet drink, and not all that boozy either. She must have a sweet tooth and doesn't want to get drunk, either that or she's a lightweight._ thought Roman

It wasn't his place to comment on what drinks his customers wanted, so long as they paid for it he didn't really care.

Roman grabbed a highball glass from the underbar and opened the icebox, taking out a large column of clear ice and placing it into the glass. He then reached at the backbar for the strawberry liqueur and grenadine. Roman quickly assembled the drink, pouring the orange juice into a mixing glass, then a measured amount strawberry liqueur which he mixed into the juice before pouring it over the clear ice in the highball glass. Lastly Roman carefully added the grenadine, the deep red liqueur slowly sinking to the bottom of the glass, giving the impression of the rising sun.

"Here's your drink, miss." said Roman, setting the glass down on a coaster in front of the hooded woman.

"Thank you." she replied, then after a pause asked, "Um. . . do you have a straw?"

"One moment." said Roman, _A straw? Seriously? It's gonna ruin the entire experience of the drink._ he thought.

Reaching to the underbar he took out a straw and gently placed it into her glass.

"Thanks." said the woman, picking up the glass and stirred it before taking a sip. She let out a surprised noise, "It's really good." she said, idly stirring her drink with the straw.

Roman raised an eyebrow, "is this your first time drinking this?" he asked.

The woman shook her head, "No, but the first time I tried one it tasted so bad I spat it back out."

"So why'd you order it?" Roman asked, moving to lean on his elbows resting on the top bar.

The woman hesitated, then quietly mumbled, "I. . . I don't know anything about alcohol and I didn't know what else to order."

"Not much of a drinker, are you?" asked Roman, chuckling.

The woman nodded at this, "Yeah, not so much. But after day like today I felt like I definitely needed one." she said before taking another sip of her drink and hummed in appreciation.

Roman could see the woman's lips curve into a smile while she drank. They were a light pink color. His curiosity was beginning to pique and he wanted to see what lay underneath that hood, but before he could say anything someone called out to him.

"Fawkes, I need another beer over here!" called out another patron.

"Duty calls." said Roman, leaving the woman as he went to refill the man's beer glass.

Roman went about his business, serving other patrons, mixing and pouring out drinks that he nearly forgot about the hooded young woman that sat at the bar.

It wasn't until she raised her hand to try and catch his attention that he noticed that the glass in front of her was now empty.

He walked over towards the woman and asked, "Did you like it?"

"Yeah, it was tasty." replied the woman.

"Would you like another one?" asked Roman, flashing a smile.

"Yes please." answered the woman.

"One more Strawberry Sunrise, coming right up." said Roman, taking the glass away and quickly mixing up a new drink in a clean glass, even going as far as putting in a straw in advance. "Here you go." he said, placing the glass down.

"Thanks." said the woman. After taking a sip and feeling the icy drink flow down her throat and let out a sigh in appreciation she then asked, "So you're name is Fox? I can see why, your hair is just like a fox's fur."

"Oh?" Roman chuckled, "I guess you're right," he said, running a hand through his hair. "but I'm sad to say that I think you misheard."

The woman tilted her head slightly in confusion, "Really? Because I'm pretty sure I heard that guy over there call you "Fox"."

Roman waved a finger in front of her face, "Similar pronunciation, but I think proper introductions are in order." He took a step back and began to say, "My name is Fawkes, spelled F-A-W-K-E-S." Roman put a hand to his chest. "I am the owner and bartender of the humble Torchlit Bar." he finished saying with a small bow.

The woman giggled at his exaggerated display.

"Oi Fawkes you didn't give any of us that sort of introduction when I asked what your name was!" complained one of the men that sat together at one of the tables.

"That's because you're a bunch of rowdy bastards, and besides none of you are as pretty as the young lady here." responded Roman, laughing a little while the group of men laughed as well.

The woman shrunk back a little as she took another sip of her drink. "You think I'm pretty?" she asked.

"Well Yes, and you're easily a damn sight better than the usual crowd that comes here." replied Roman, grinning broadly as he jerked a thumb towards the group of men he had spoken to.

"But you haven't even seen my face yet." said the woman.

"Does it matter? Besides I'm a good judge of people and there are plenty of folks around here that don't want their faces to be seen." said Roman shrugging, "But since I've already introduced myself. It'd only be fair if you introduced yourself to me, and if I can't see your face then can I at least have your name young miss?"

The woman gripped the edge of her hood, "Well for reasons I can't talk about, I'm afraid I can't give you my name." she said.

Roman's grin faltered somewhat at her words.

"But if you keep insisting that I'm pretty, I guess I won't mind showing you my face." continued the woman.

She pulled off her hood to reveal exactly what Roman had hoped. She was more than just pretty, she was gorgeous. Her heart shaped face held delicate features and her wide fern green eyes sparkled, reflecting the light from the back bar. She had small slightly pink lips that ever so slightly seemed to pout. Her long black hair fell past her shoulders where the rest was hidden underneath her cloak. But with the light coming from the backbar Roman could see that her hair faded into a shade of dark red. But tragically, her face wasn't unmarred. a thin scar running from her cheekbones across the bridge of her nose.

Roman's breath caught in his throat as he studied every feature of her face, his eyes lingering on the scar.

The woman looked away embarrassedly, "You still think I'm pretty, Fawkes?" she asked, her smile fading as she took another sip of her drink.

When Roman finally came back to his senses he quickly answered, "Yes, you're prettier than i imagined."

The woman blushed, "No one's ever called me pretty, at least after I got this." she ran a finger along the scar going across her face.

"Scars can be beautiful too, you know." said Roman, once again resting his elbows on the bar, bringing his face closer to the woman. "And I think it suits you."

The woman's face turned pink as she blushed at Roman's compliment. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."

"So I've seen your face and I know you can't tell me your name, but what can I call you at least?" Roman asked. "I still have to call you something. Unless you want me to call you scarface?"

Upon mentioning her scar, the woman immediately pouted, "Now that's just rude, is that how you treat all your lady customers?" she said indignantly, crossing her arms.

"Only if they're as feisty as you." said Roman, a chuckle escaping his lips. "So what can I call you if not scarface?"

"Spinel, you can call me Spinel." said the woman.

"Well then, Spinel. I'm glad to make your acquaintance." said Roman happily as he held out his hand.

"Same here, Fawkes." said Spinel as she took his hand and shook it. When she let go Spinel took her drink, finished it off in one go and set a few bills on the bar. "Thank you for the drinks and keep the change." said Spinel.

"The pleasure was all mine, Spinel." said Roman, taking the bills.

The woman stood from the barstool and wobbled slightly before she regained her footing. "Whoa, I guess I had a bit too much to drink haha." she said, laughter slipping past her lips as she held on to the bar for support.

Roman smiled at how cute she looked as she began to walk swaying a bit.

When she reached the door, she turned back to face Roman. "I'll be sure to come back if I ever feel the need to go drinking again." she said.

"I'll be waiting." replied Roman as Spinel opened the door and exited the bar. He kept staring at the door for several moments even after Spinel had left. That is, until he felt a sharp sting on his buttock accompanied by a loud snap.

"Ow!" he yelped, rubbing his ass as he turned to see Neo holding a wet rag in her hands. "Daiquiri what was that for?!" he yelled.

All of the other patrons of the bar laughed at his reaction as Neo signed to him, _Stop staring off into space like some lovestruck schoolboy, Roman and get back to work._

Roman's face erupted into a blush, "Who are you calling a lovestruck schoolboy?!"

The bar filled with even more laughter as Neo walked away from Roman with a grin on her face.

 **Author's Notes:** Well here's chapter 2! The chapters for this story probably aren't gonna be as long as I usually make for my other stories, since this is more of a side project that I really wanted to write. I also felt like this was a good place to stop for the time being. I'm also shocked to see how well this story has been received so far and I'm glad that a all of you are enjoying it! Next update might be a while since I'll be working on the next chapter of Ruby vs The Machines before getting started on chapter 3. So please be patient, and remember

 **Please Leave A Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ruby let out a wide yawn as she stretched her arms over her head in an attempt to loosen her stiff shoulders. They had been flying for several hours now and they had just now arrived at Vacuo.

"Seriously, why did I have to pick the short straw?" Ruby mumbled to herself as she clutched her bag while the airship began to land.

She had just arrived back home after an extended mission and was promised a week of downtime, but the moment she made her report to Ozpin she was suddenly assigned a new mission.

" _I'm terribly sorry miss Rose, I know that you just came back but I have another assignment for you." said Ozpin, sitting at his desk._

" _Are you serious?!" Ruby exclaimed. "I just got back and now you want me to head out again?!"_

" _I understand that it's inconvenient, but you're the only one that I trust to handle this situation and is currently available." replied Ozpin._

 _Ruby pouted while puffing out her cheeks childishly before relenting. "Fine, I'll do it. What is it you need me to do? It isn't another Grimm subjugation is it? I just got back from one."_

" _No it isn't as strenuous as that." said Ozpin smirking._

" _I hope so. And one more thing! Once this mission is over I want an entire month off!" Ruby demanded, then quickly added. "With pay!"_

 _Ozpin's smile never left his face. "Of course, miss Rose I will see to it."_

Ruby let out a sigh, pulling the large envelope with all the details of her mission staring at it as if willing for its contents to change.

"I should've known something was fishy with he accepted my terms so easily. . ." grumbled Ruby. "An entire semester as a special professor at Shade Academy? I can't believe I said yes without even knowing the mission." she said to herself.

"Miss we've touched down at Shade Academy." said the pilot in the cockpit.

"Thanks for your hard work." said Ruby, unbuckling herself from her seat and walked to the hatch of the airship which opened.

Ruby was greeted with a harsh blow of hot wind and dust, she squinted her eyes and raised up an arm to protect her face, her long hair whipping around her. When the sudden gust died down the first thing she saw was the sight of a huge step-pyramid.

"So that's Shade Academy." Ruby said to herself. "It's a lot bigger than I thought."

The sun shone brightly and the moment she stepped out of the airship the sun's glare assaulted her with its heat.

"Are you Spinel Scarlet?" a voice asked.

Ruby turned her head to see a young woman standing at the edge of the landing platform. She had dark tanned skin and wore a beige and white flowing dress.

Ruby walked towards her and the woman extended her hand. "Welcome to Shade, Spinel my name's Latte I'll be escorting you to the headmistress' office."

Ruby shook her hand, "Nice to meet you, Latte."

"I'll be taking you to see our headmistress and afterwards I'll show you to your quarters." said Latte.

"Well lead the way." replied Ruby.

Latte turned around and began to lead Ruby towards the giant building.

Ruby's eyes wandered as she took in the sights Shade academy. From a distance they building appeared to be simple, but upon closer inspection the entire building's design was quite modern, with large windows and angular shapes gave itself its own identity when compared to the other the other huntsmen academies. The moment they entered through the main doors of Shade, Ruby noticed that the air was significantly cooler, glad that the heat was no longer baring down on her.

They walked through the long halls within the pyramid until they reached an elevator. They both entered and with a press of a button the elevator began to rise, after a few minutes the elevator's doors opened revealing a lavishly decorated office.

Ruby stepped off the elevator and the doors closed behind her, her eyes homing in right to the older woman sitting at the desk.

"It's nice to see you again, miss Scarlet. Or should I say, miss Rose." said the woman.

"It's good to see you again too, Professor Dorothy." replied Ruby, walking away from the elevator and towards the headmistress' desk.

"That disguise is quite well done." complimented Dorothy, her eyes moving up and down, taking in Ruby's appearance. "If I didn't know about your disguise beforehand I wouldn't have even known it was you."

Ruby chuckled, "It was just something I quickly put together," spinning around slowly, showing off her ensemble. During the months that they were going up against Salem they were all too preoccupied with more life and death situations to count to notice, but Ruby had somehow gone through an extraordinary growth spurt during that time. She ended up being slightly taller than Yang and filled out in all the right places. She wore a more tight fitting dress, closer to an evening gown with a long slit running up its side. She had to forgo her usual cloak, but she had another one that Weiss gifted to her, it was much longer just barely skirting along the ground, it was light and durable from the Dust impregnated into its fibers. She just couldn't settle down without a cloak of some kind. Ever since the final battle and her…injury, Ruby had gotten into the habit of wearing her hood up at nearly all times.

"It suits you." complimented Dorothy.

"Thanks, it isn't something I'd usually wear, but I can still fight in it at least." said Ruby, "Though it's a bit of a pain having to wear contacts for this mission." she pulled her hood back slightly, pointing a finger to emphasize her eyes, which were now a deep green instead of silver.

"That's true. Haha" chuckled Dorothy, "After the final battle with Salem your eyes have become iconic after all."

"They have, haven't they?" mused Ruby, "But at least that's all that the public knows about me. Makes me glad I turned down all those public awards and interviews back then, not that I could do them after everything was all said and done."

"Well despite that, you are still a fairly high profile huntress after all, along with your teammates and friends." said Dorothy

"Another reason why I'm not very suited for this kind of mission, even Ozpin realizes that, but I'm the only one that's available right now." Ruby explained.

"He told me that you had only just returned from a mission when he assigned it to you, not only that but you immediately travelled here with little to no rest. For still coming despite that, I am very thankful." said Dorothy.

"So what're the details for the mission?" asked Ruby, waving the dossier in her hand. "I got the gist of it from this, but I'd rather hear it from you." placing the envelope on Dorothy's desk and took a seat.

Dorothy straightened in her chair and with a tap of her finger on the desk images began to show up between them, showing various symbols and graffiti. "With the death of Salem and the spread of knowledge regarding the Gods of Light and Darkness we have been seeing cults forming everywhere. Most of them are harmless, but some…" she trailed off, and with swipe of her hand one of the images enlarged showing a corpse tied to a tree that was obviously killed by some sort of Grimm with a familiar symbol painted in what looked like blood on the tree. "are starting to get out of hand."

At this point of her life, Ruby was no stranger to such sights, in the war against Salem she had seen much worse tragedies. She nodded at Dorothy's words, "So what does this have to do with Shade Academy?" she asked. The dossier wasn't exactly specific with that part of her mission.

"We have started seeing signs that the academy has been infiltrated by one of the more dangerous cults and that some students being recruited into joining them." Dorothy explained, "As consequence, these students have started becoming more guarded and secretive towards our faculty. We needed someone from the outside and unrelated to the academy that they could trust and maybe recruit we might be able to smoke them out and find who their leader is."

Ruby crossed her arms against her chest, leaning back into her chair, "That makes sense, no wonder you asked me to hide my identity."

Dorothy nodded, "As part of your cover you will be a temporary professor that will teach in Specialized Weapon Engineering. When we were informed that you would be the one that Ozpin had sent we thought up of a subject that you were most familiar with." Dorothy gave Ruby a small smile.

Ruby smiled halfheartedly, scratching the back of her neck and chuckled nervously, "Ahaha thanks Professor. I don't think I'd be able to teach anything that doesn't involve weapons. I never really had the best grades while I was studying at Beacon, well apart from Grimm Studies."

"We need to have your cover as convincing as possible. It wouldn't help much if we had you teach something like World History, now would it?" teased Dorothy.

Ruby continued to scratch the back of her neck and chuckled nervously, "Ehehe. Yeah, that's definitely true." But on the inside, _Goddamnit Ozpin! Did you send my old grades to her when I agreed to go?!_ Ruby screamed internally. _You are so gonna get it when this mission is over!_

Dorothy then pulled a new envelope from her desk's drawer and slid it across the dest towards Ruby.

"Here are some suggested material for your lectures, as well as the files of particular students we would like you to keep an eye on and, if possible, get close with." said Dorothy, she waved her hand once more and several pictures of students faces showed up. "Their files are in the envelope as well so be sure to read all of it."

Ruby picked up the envelope and pulled out its contents giving them a quick skim before putting them back. "Okay, I'll give them a read later." said Ruby, as she laid the envelope on her lap.

"All the information that we have on the cult is in there as well. We must protect our students from their damaging influence." said Dorothy, "Before it's too late." Her expression hardened.

Ruby's own expression mirrored Dorothy's as she nodded once more.

Then Dorothy's face relaxed, "Now I'm sure that you're exhausted from your flight here. Latte will guide you to your quarters and you can rest there. Your first class is in a few days, so I think you'd better prepare for it."

Ruby stood from her chair, picking up the other envelope and placing them under her arm. "Yeah, It's been rough I tell you." said Ruby, "Going from one mission to the next."

Well get some rest. I look forward to seeing how the students respond to your classes Professor Scarlet." said Dorothy emphasizing Ruby's alias.

"Well I hope I won't disappoint." replied Ruby, smiling as she turned around to exit the office through the elevator that she came in.

* * *

Days passed and Ruby was finally about to start her first class. She had read and memorized as best she could all the information written in them over the past several days while she was settling down in her new quarters. They were spacious for a single person, plus the food was good, even though she had to have it brought to her room from the cafeteria. Dorothy had sent her a message through her Scroll telling her that she should avoid contact with the students before the semester began.

During that time, Ruby had also gotten to know the other professors, all of whom knew who she was and what she was here for. Most of them were much older than her, but that was fine as they were all friendly and welcoming. A few of them even admired her from her contributions in the final fight against Salem.

Ruby made her way through the well lit, tunnel-like corridors of Shade, the cool air a sharp contrast to the blazing heat outside, eventually she stopped at a door. Ruby paused and took a deep breath, her heart was fluttering slightly. It was still a bit nerve wracking suddenly becoming a professor, albeit a temporary one, even though she had experienced many life-and-death experiences before.

She had her lecture notes and lesson plans in hand, but she still couldn't help her knees feel a bit shaky.

 _Come on Ruby! You've faced down hundreds of Grimm, Cinder, and even Salem! What's a bunch of kids compared to them?_ thought Ruby, giving her cheeks a light slap.

After her small bout of self pep-talk Ruby finally opened the door.

"Good after- _BOOM_ " Ruby began, but was cut off by a sudden explosion of fire, ice, steam, and lightning. Covering her from head to toe in a light layer of soot.

When the smoke cleared, Ruby's eyes were wide as she let out a small cough as she blinked to get rid of some of the smoke that got in her eyes. Once she could properly see again, Ruby saw that everyone in the classroom were frozen in place, staring at her. The entire classroom was already a mess, one of the boys was standing on a workbench, another was asleep, some girls were sitting in one corner and tapping away at their Scrolls, the others just looked horrified, and lastly was one boy whose arm was positioned as if he had just thrown something.

 _This…has turned into a difficult situation._ thought Ruby as she stared back at her students, still frozen in place right in the doorway.

 **Author's Notes:** Hi everyone! Well this update took way longer than I was expecting, but it's finally here. Though like I said, this is my secondary fic and is lower priority to Ruby vs The Machines so updates will be sporadic. Sorry if any of you were looking forward to Roman and Neo this chapter, but they'll have to wait, Ruby needs her time in the spotlight of course. I hope you're all still looking forward to the next chapter (Whenever that'll be) and remember

 **Please Leave A Review!**


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